User:Bsaffer1/Mental Healthcare Act, 2017

The impact of the Mental HealthCare Act of 2017 (MHCA)

For something to become decriminalize means that it no longer will be treated as a criminal offense, therefore the consequences associated with this action cease to take place. The Mental Health Care Act decriminalizes the attempt to die by suicide. Prior to this act, attempts to die by suicide were penalized with either imprisonment for one year, fine, or both (Ranjan et al., 2014), under Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code. The decriminalization of the attempt to die by suicide can reduce the stress of individuals who struggle with mental health, as now they can prioritize seeking help rather than fearing the consequences associated with this action (Vadlamani & Gowda, 2019). This act along with removing the punishment associated with attempted suicide also provides mental healthcare professionals and establishments with procedures and government funding in order assist and individuals who’s attempted suicide in order to prevent the recurrence (Vadlamani & Gowda, 2019).

Ranjan, R., Kumar, S., Pattanayak, R. D., Dhawan, A., & Sagar, R. (2014). (De-) criminalization of attempted suicide in India: A review. Industrial psychiatry journal, 23(1), 4.

Vadlamani, L. N., & Gowda, M. (2019). Practical implications of Mental Healthcare Act 2017: Suicide and suicide attempt. Indian journal of psychiatry, 61(Suppl 4), S750.